Towards the design of a virtual sociologist on aborigines substance abuse: A coping-theory perspective

Aborigines are the original inhabitants of Australia. Colonisation and subsequent alienation through perpetual neglect and torture eventuated in the excessive consumption of alcohol and illegal substances in their society. To tackle this serious problem, we propose an interactive virtual sociologist, Mr. W, as an embodied conversational agent that will simulate the role of a real sociologist in advising on strategies to overcome their addiction to substance use. Guided by coping theory, we come up with an optimal system design for the Virtual Counselor, Mr. W. We believe that such a system with affective human computer interaction interface will motivate Aboriginal Australians to lead a better quality of life alongside the rest of the Australian community in enjoying the fruits of socio-economic prosperity of the country.